When Malzahn said Marshall would not start Saturday’s opener against Arkansas after being cited for marijuana possession, Auburn fans probably weren’t overly concerned.

One, they had Johnson on the roster.

Two, Malzahn left the door open enough to say Marshall could see action at any point.

Marshall wasn’t needed in the first half of Auburn’s 45-21 win.

In his first SEC start, Johnson completed his first eight passes and finished 12 of 16 for 243 yards and two touchdowns before heading to the locker room with the scored knotted at 21.

Johnson could basically start for any school in the country … just not at Auburn.

Johnson does offer something Marshall does not.

His arm strength and accuracy gets the ball into the receiver’s hands in stride.

That means Auburn can make more game-breaking plays. Receivers have time to avoid direct hits (and eliminating possible fumbles) and set up defenders with fakes.

A classic example came at the end of the first quarter.

On first-and-10 from Auburn’s 16, Johnson hit Duke Williams in stride with a rocket. Williams nearly turned it into an 84-yard touchdown before being pulled down from behind after 62 yards.

That’s not a pass Marshall showed he could make all last season.

Here’s another difference between the two quarterbacks from another angle.

On third-and-2 from Auburn’s 40, Marshall looked down field and was high and off target.

Melvin Ray reached up with one hand and made an acrobatic 28-yard catch that led to a go-ahead score. If Johnson was in, playing the way he did in the first half, Ray may have caught it in stride and scored.

Now take a look at another piece of the equation.

Despite Johnson’s excellent play, Auburn headed into halftime tied.

Johnson did not keep the ball and run with it once with the read option.

That made Auburn’s offense more predictable. Without the threat of the quarterback running, Cameron Artis Payne found less room inside. He failed on back-to-back third-and short-situations.

With Marshall back in the game, Artis-Payne found much more running room and Marshall made Arkansas pay with a 19-yard touchdown run that gave Auburn the lead for good at 28-21.

With Johnson running the offense, Artis Payne had 14 carries for 55 yards.

With Marshall at the helm in the second half, he had 12 carries for 123 yards.

Earlier in the preseason, Johnson guaranteed Marshall would win the Heisman Trophy.

And, that could happen if Marshall picks up the team and carries it on his shoulders like he did last year.

But Saturday’s performance also makes you wonder what Johnson could do with more playing time.

When Ohio State’s Braxton Miller was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, the Buckeyes’ chances of gaining entry into the college football playoff took a severe hit.

If Marshall went down with an injury, Auburn wouldn’t be facing the same situation.

Most coaches don’t favor a platoon system at quarterback for various reasons.

And this isn’t to say, Auburn needs to go to one with its total offensive package.

However, for Auburn to truly have a shot to repeat as SEC champions and vie for a spot in the College Football Playoff, Malzahn needs to use the abilities of both Marshall and Johnson to their fullest.

He would be silly if he didn’t. And, Johnson showed Saturday he has plenty of skills to use.

Brad Zimanek, Advertiser sports editor, can be reached by emailing him at bzimanek@gannett.com or followed on Twitter at bzimanek.